According to the latest CityDNA barometer, based on the latest ticket booking data from ForwardKeys, the European travel and tourism sector is showing promising signs for the last quarter of 2023.

The report shows that the top European destinations in the south of Europe are approaching pre-pandemic levels in the fourth quarter of 2023, with Lisbon moving from second place, in relation to the 3rd quarter, to first place, when analysing the 4th quarter of 2023, according to Publituris.

Lisbon registered a stagnation in demand in the 3rd quarter, compared to the same period in 2019, falling behind Athens, but ahead of Madrid, Milan, Istanbul, Dublin, Rome, London, Paris and Zurich. All cities, except Athens and Lisbon, recorded decreases.

Growth

For the 4th quarter of 2023, ForwardKeys points to a growth in ticket bookings of 13% for Lisbon (compared to the same period in 2019), the same percentage for Athens, but with the Greek capital exchanging positions with the Portuguese capital.

In the following places are Madrid (+9%), Istanbul (+4%), Milan (+2%), London (-2%), Dublin (-2%), Rome (-3%), Paris (-6 %) and Barcelona (-11%).

“Southern European destinations are expected to continue to lead the numbers in terms of higher recovery”, says Olivier Ponti, vice president of Insights at the company, the “seat capacity for travel International travel to Europe nearly reached pre-pandemic levels during the third quarter and is trending upwards ahead of the fourth quarter – a much-needed boost for travel to take off again across Europe.”